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For those interested and for the fewer that care CWD has been confirmed for the first time in Mississippi. I am not an expert on the counties of Mississippi but I think it is in the vicinity of Yazoo. So that would put it east of the southeast corner of Arkansas. I wonder how hard AGFC has looked in that part of the world? Not much would be my guess. The cork is out of the bottle to not ever be pit in again.

I wonder how hard AGFC has looked in that part of the world? Not much would be my guess.

Not any would be my guess.... I honestly don't think G&F is taking CWD any more serious than Arkansas' deer hunters are. Seems as long as most people have a yard full of shinny play purties and a cell phone and/or a computer there's not much of anything else they care about these days....

I read where they tested a 4 1/2 year old buck somebody found dead in Issaquena County. Mississippi immediately declared a feeding ban in Claiborne, Hinds, Issaquena, Sharkey, Warren, and Yazoo counties, all south of Arkansas mostly along the Arkansas River.

It could possibly affect Chicot County here in Arkansas though since it looks like Issaquena County's northern border might end across the river at Chicots County's southern border.... But then again, I'll be surprised if G&F does any testing on their own in Chicot County. They might send a biologist and helper down that way and beg for a few hunter samples this next season but no way will they get enough volunteer samples to ever make it worth the effort.

I still think that there are places that have CWD and know it, because of testing, and places that have it and don't know it, because they haven't tested or not tested enough to find it. I also the thing driving force behind the CWD fear is money. Federal grant money, state money for testing, research money for colleges and state agencies, ect, ect. Once the money train starts it becomes self-perpetuating, everyone involved and getting dollars has to justify their jobs or grants by proving how bad what they are researching really is how it will cause the end of the world as we know it. Just like "Global Warming" . It turns into a never ending cycle. I saw this back when we were farming with the EPA, no matter what you did, no matter how good you implemented the government's own rules and plans, they would always find something or change the rules in the middle of the game so they could justify their reason for being. Still have nightmares about government guys showing up and saying "we're here to help you."

_________________If I am to be insulted; first I must value your opinion.

To some extent Sam you may be right but these days I really don't know. For about 6-7 years after Wisconsin found CWD there was a fair amount of money for the states to look for CWD the amount depended on whether you actually had found it to lesser amounts the further away from the known area your state was. I found out right away never come in under budget. I was made to spend every penny given by USDA. I was told they had to show every cent was needed and more. However in the end Obama cut this program and I cannot say if it has been revived. This is when Arkansas quit looking very hard and shifted to known problem areas and road kills. Truthfully IMO they all but quit looking period.Whether or not research is funded I have no idea but I would not be surprised if it were. However IMO the problem with this is as often as not research is funded based on the agenda of the funding federal agency for example all the research funded to prove man made global warming but researchers not trying to prove this point are not funded as it does not fit the political agenda.Then again I am not so sure that there is anything that can be done but different and new theories like the bacterium caused CWD from the Doctor at LSU need to be explored.

Thanks for the map grubbsi. I added the location where the infected deer was found. Looks like it's maybe 50 or so miles south of Arkansas. A hunter had seen it in a field one day and found it dead in the saame field the next day. I read an article that said the official cause of death was pneumonia caused by CWD.

Mississippi Department of Health is already advising hunters not to eat any deer out of the new CWD zone, which no doubt is a stretch this early with only one deer found in a 6 county zone.

They are gonna kill sixty deer within a 5 mile circle core area. If nothing else is found they're gonna wait on hunter samples next fall.... If they find more I'm sure they'll expand the core area and test a little more. But that's just a guess on my part. Heck for all I know they might call Arkansas and ask us what they need to do....

The land along the Mississippi River is usually area with high deer populations and also clubs that memberships are well heeled. It will be curious to see how Mississippi responds when the well to do have CWD on their club land.

Big Island that brings back some memories from long ago. When I was a kid we had a neighbor who was a member of Big Island. I can still remember him hanging nice bucks behind his house and skinning them. I would go over and watch and hear the hunting stories. I digress.

Does anyone know anything about elk /exotics / captive deer raising in Mississippi ? I seem to remember that a couple years ago a hunter in very southern Arkansas shot a red deer. It was said to be escaped from a place in Louisiana. This new record pushes the spread of CWD several hundred miles from any prior known locations. It looks like it is very close to the Mississippi river so maybe there is a travel corridor. The closest Texas record is about 60 miles east of Austin at a captive raising facility. I'm hoping we get a lot more testing out in areas that are now thought to be clear. Sick deer need to be reported whenever they are seen

Nope all I know about Mississippi is how to spell it and Elvis was born there.

I do know there were captive elk and deer in southeast Arkansas and red deer being around sure would not be a surprise. For anyone to say that the red deer came from Louisiana was probably a lot of wishful thinking. I do know Louisiana captive deer facilities are run by the state Ag agency and loosely monitored if at all. I get this from a good friend recently retired from Louisiana G&F.

Also, since there's a couple of Louisiana parishes across the river that falls within Mississippi's management circle they say they are gonna coordinate with Mississippi as far as sampling goes and have asked people to hold back on supplemental feeding for now.

What on earth are these people thinking ? If that's how the high fence trophy buck crowd operates its time for them to go.

We got plenty of Axis in Texas and folks put up high fence corrals, trap them and sell um. For a lot. They're bigger and tastier than whitetail too. Heard of a fellow who raises buffalo on his ranch. put up a 75 K high fence corral trap and paid it off in less that a month trapping axis. And Axis dont get CWD. Those yahoos in Mississippi could have gotten axis a lot easier ( but I dont know anything about the local regs)

My long term Soil conservation service friends say if you have axis shoot them all cause they 'll damage your land. They are grazers and therefore out compete the whitetails. When I go for a walk at our place in Cleveland county I see lots of tall grasses and I wonder what grazer that used to be here is gone ?

The high fence captive deer and other critter shooters have a several high profile mouthpieces that sing their praises long and loud. Notably Keith Warren and Ted Nugent. WW's old buddy Dr. Deer is also a vocal promoter of the captive deer business. They are that way for one reason. They have been bought and paid for. They have done a great job of selling too. A lot of hunters today are accepting of captive domestic deer and animal shooting because the propaganda has done the job of promoting it as acceptable. The little dealing I had with operators in Arkansas showed me that nearly all captive operators were on the shady side and would do just about anything for a dollar legal or not. Are they totally responsible for the spread of CWD? No they are not but they sure played a huge part in the rapid spread. They continue to downplay its importance in the long term and refuse to accept any part in the spread. Dr. Deer is particularly vocal about this. Heard that out his mouth myself.

We did have the TAHC (Texas animal health commission) step up to the plate last May and come out with regs on all captive cervids, WTD and exotics. Mandatory testing ( well, some mandatory testing) They are coming out with a non-fatal testing method too. The few TAHC folks I'v met were very no nonsense people. Livestock disease is what they are all about. Captive deer are livestock. There seems to be cooperation between them and TPWD ( but who really knows) Some of the high-fence exotics folks are fairly responsible too. The trophy buck guys on the other hand, every CWD case not in mule deer way out in west Texas is from a captive deer facility. Every single one

What are the reasons the trophy buck business exists ? and the canned guided hunts. At the same time we have some urban pest deer populations that need controlled take to bring them into management. I think that the large urban population centers with people who do not have a connection with land somewhere, the family deer lease, grandpaw's farm out west, are what powers the buck farming. Most folks I know are more interested in some backstrap, sausage and jerky than a huge rack. Tho racks are nice, but I'd personally have a couple does instead if that was the choice. I have a couple of 10 point skulls found out working in the countryside. They look just about as good up on the wall

As stated above deer farming and CWD have a strong connection. Time to get that in control. Every landowner who pays the taxes on their timber land from the hunting clubs lease has a huge stake in this and most are voters.

Where I am hogs are a much bigger problem and I'm more focused on that these days

Easy on that captive hunting. I happen to enjoy it if done right. I am planning on going up to Missouri next year on a white tail management hunt. Here is what you get 140" to 400" on the management hunt. Their site show numerous management hunts with 300+ deer. Just kidding I can't afford that. But I have bow hunted high fence many times for exotics and understand on most of the bowing hunting places they are not tying up game for you. It is the no kill no pay places to watch out for.

not all high fence ranches are scammers, there are plenty that practice good deer herd management. Lots of exotic operations are legit too. It doesnt take too many bad apples to taint the whole crowd. They are the high profile folks making lots of noise so they get noticed more.

I also noticed that Mississippi came out and said dont eat deer from the containment area. To my knowledge no other state has done that That is bound to have a big economic impact. Be interesting to watch and see how that plays out

Once again, thanks to Two Dog, WW and all the folks who are watching this so closely and keeping the rest of us informed